Change of Fate: The Rewrite
by SkywalkerT-65
Summary: Rewrite of 'Change of Fate'. Kisuke Urahara was a genius, as he loved to remind people. However, he has a penchant for creating things that blow up in his face. So, Ichigo should not have been surprised that he was thrown into the past when he picked up something in his shop. But, now, he's stuck in a past where no-one knows him, and still has to stop Aizen. Easy right?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Say hi to an old friend! CoF is still, to this day, the only fic I've ever actually finished. Unfortunately, it is **_**really**_** not up to par these days. I'll freely admit even **_**I**_** have problems reading the original, I just don't like the writing style anymore. Thus, almost four years after it was first posted, I am rewriting Change of Fate. Why you may ask? Simply put, I still like the idea, and the plot is still workable (Winter War is another story, but CoF still works). It just needs a lot of work. And it gives me a way to try and break my writers block for Snow.**

**Thankfully, I don't think this will be like my other stories in having problems with updating (such as Snow). As it is mostly just a rewrite, and I have help.**

**DX1998: Hi! I volunteered to help Sky with this rewrite, even though I haven't done any Bleach work myself. We're going to work together on reviving this story! :D**

**Sky: And, that being said, it won't be just a rewrite, in the strictest sense. We aren't just reworking the old chapters and leaving it at that. One of the biggest problems, I feel, with CoF was the pacing. It went **_**way**_** too fast in parts. That, and the '40 years in the past' bit just won't work, not nowadays when I understand Bleach better. To put it simply, Ichigo's powers develop at an _insane_ pace. Giving him 40 years to develop is tantamount to a god-mode cheat in a video game. The guy will just be too strong to keep an interesting story, even beyond just going back in time in the first place. So, really, it will be more like Snow compared to White Sun I think.**

**That being said, I will stick to the original plot _post_ time-skip to the canon story, where possible. Those who read the original (or read it after this is posted…please don't judge my writing by that thank you) know what I mean. I hope everyone likes it!**

**DX: So do I! :D**

Key:

**"Shiro"**

_"Zangetsu"_

_'Shingami communicating with their inner spirits'_

_Thoughts_

* * *

Kisuke Urahara was working on a new invention. To those who knew him this wouldn't seem overly odd. After all, Kisuke was always working on something, his inherent curiosity getting him in trouble more often than not. It was one of those troublesome events that had him working on this new invention in fact. For the Hōgyoku was his greatest mistake, something he regretted creating to this day. Especially as it was now in the hands of the greatest madman in his long lifetime, in the form of Souske Aizen.

Thus, Kisuke had (with some help from Tessai) taken another gem, not unlike what he had done with the Hōgyoku. This gem, however, was a diamond he had 'borrowed' from his long-time friend Yoruichi. He didn't think she would miss it, and it was too important to ask first. For all the work he had put into training Ichigo Kurosaki, there wasn't any guarantee he could really beat Aizen. Thus, the backup plan. A lot of experimental Kido had gone into this diamond, and Kisuke wasn't entirely certain it would work, but it was always a good idea to have a backup plan.

Now, he just had to convince an irate former Captain that...

"KISUKE URAHARA!" the familiar voice shouted from the shop above, "Where are you?!"

The scientist quickly covered up the diamond, before moving to the ladder to his shop. Of course, Yoruichi was hardly the type to actually _climb_ the ladder. She just jumped down, not a care in the world about her limbs. The resulting cloud of dust made Kisuke cough slightly, before a hand swept out of the sand and slapped him hard enough to send his hat flying off his head.

"What was that for?!" he shouted, holding his cheek as Yoruichi walked out of the sand, golden eyes glaring at him.

"Where. Is. My. Diamond," the cat-woman replied, each word equaling a step closer to her old friend.

Kisuke stepped back slightly, before raising his fan up to his face and grinning behind it. Of course, the 'mysterious' look he was going for was rather ruined by the missing hat and large palm-print on his face. But don't tell him that.

"Why, Yoruichi, I didn't think you cared about jewelry?" he said cheekily, "are you sure you didn't just lose it in a transformation?"

His answer was a kick to his gut, sending the former Captain to the ground groaning in pain.

"I don't," Yoruichi said, "but that's a family heirloom, and one of the few things I have left from Soul Society...so where is it?!"

Kisuke groaned some more, holding his stomach. It didn't last long though. The only reason he did it in the first place was because it was fun to mess with his old friend, not because Kisuke was an immature fool. Okay, so maybe that last part was a lie...he _was_ an immature idiot most of the time, though he had his serious side. Something that came to the fore as he got to his feet and recovered the wayward hat. Despite still having the red cheek, Kisuke turned serious grey eyes on his oldest friend.

Yoruichi merely grinned in return, glad that the resident genius was finally taking things semi-seriously. Of course, she still didn't have the foggiest idea why he would have taken her diamond in the first place. It wasn't like he needed it.

"Tell me Yoruichi," Kisuke began, his voice deadly serious, "have you ever heard of time travel?"

Yoruichi just gave him a deadpan look, "Of course I have. It's impossible though."

It was only natural really that the former Captain knew about time travel. Spend a century in the World of the Living, and one would have to use their media to keep from going crazy of boredom. Yoruichi herself had something of a soft-spot for the American 'Back to the Future' movies. Thus, she knew a fair bit of fictional time travel. Key word there, of course, being _fictional_. Living World science had long ago decided that time travel was impossible outside of books or movies.

Soul Society may have operated on a different set of rules, but that didn't mean they had time jumping Shinigami running around.

"Ahh, so little faith in me Yoruichi," Kisuke said, mock-hurt in his voice, "what if I told you I found a way to make it work?"

"I'd think you're even crazier than Mayuri?"

"Okay, that one was uncalled for!" the scientist protested, "And I'm not joking. Tessai and I have been working with every Kido we know, and even invented a few new spells along the way. The Kido needed a focus of some sort, and a diamond happened to work well. Every theory I have points to this working."

"But it's _impossible_, Kiuske," Yoruichi said again, in case her friend hadn't heard her the first time.

Kisuke just shook his head in response. He figured his old friend would have more faith in him than this. Sure, he had some crackpot theories before, what scientist hadn't? But everything he had done so far pointed to this working. Obviously he couldn't test the diamond itself though, for a reason he told his friend.

"I'm telling you, it will work Yoruichi. I can't test it myself, obviously..."

"Obviously."

"...because it would be a one-way trip. Any changes would wipe this timeline from existence. This is a last-resort, nothing more or less."

Yoruichi just sighed. It was obvious that Kisuke believed his invention would work, and there wasn't anything she could do to convince him otherwise. So she'd play along, if only to humor her oldest friend.

"Okay then, _if_ this thing works, how does it work?" the cat-woman asked.

Kisuke just waved a hand, "It's too complicated to explain. Just pump enough reiatsu into it, and it will activate. I've programmed it to go back to when Rukia first came to Karakura."

Yoruichi shook her head, "Whatever Kisuke...is that Ichigo?"

The sudden change of topic had to do with the familiar sense of barely restrained power approaching the shop. Ichigo should have been training with the Vizards though...Shinji had made it very clear that he needed a _lot_ of work. There was something odd about the kids Hollow, even compared to the Vizard's counterparts. So why was he coming to the shop?

"Hey, Hat and Clogs!" Ichigo shouted, climbing down the ladder.

"What brings you to my humble shop Ichigo?" Kisuke asked.

Ichigo purposely ignored the humble shop comment, and shrugged, "Rukia asked me to get some Soul Candy for her. Apparently Ikkaku lost his."

Kisuke laughed, as he looked up at the ladder. He could feel Rukia's impatience even from down here. And it didn't surprise him at all that she had been the one to drag Ichigo down here. Those two could read the other's minds, and Rukia was probably the only one who could tear Ichigo Kurosaki away from training. And it was funny that Ikkaku lost his supply, though somewhat worrying if someone stumbled on it.

"There's some candy over there," the shop keeper said, waving his hand over his back as he moved to the ladder with Yoruichi, "I'll get the payment from Miss Kuchiki."

Ichigo frowned, "Why would it be down here?"

"I have to test it to make sure we don't have another Kon in one of them!"

"That was your own fault!"

Kisuke just waved again as his hat disappeared into the shop. Ichigo frowned, before shaking his head and looking for the Soul Candy in question. Kisuke was always eccentric, but leaving his supplies down here where it could be vaporized by a passing Kido seemed rather stupid to him. Whatever though...he needed to find the stupid Candy fast so he could get back to the training. Why he let Rukia convince him to do this was beyond him.

_Where is that stupid Candy. Hat and Clogs, you better not have been ly...ah, there it is!_

Sitting in next to a rock in the rough direction Kisuke had waved was a tarp. This had to be the candy, since the form under the tarp was about the right size. And there wasn't anything else in sight that fit it. Yet, when Ichigo grabbed the object under the tarp, it wasn't a Soul Candy container. It was...a diamond? Why would Kisuke have a diamond down here?

The _second_ thing he noticed was that there was something off about this diamond. It glowed, and not in the typical 'shiny jewel' style. There was swirling...reiatsu?!

"Oh damn it!" Ichigo quickly realized this was one of Kisuke's inventions, and tried to get it out of his hand.

Unfortunately for him, the diamond was keyed to activate if enough power was pushed into it. And Ichigo's sudden panic allowed his already leaking power to come out in enough force to activate the time 'machine'. By the time Kisuke realized what was happening up in the shop, it was too late. Ichigo Kurosaki vanished in a flash of light, and God only knew where he would end up.

* * *

_"Ichigo...wake up Ichigo..." _a soothing voice pushed itself into Ichigo's mind.

The teen groaned at the voice, before opening his eyes and seeing nothing but blue sky above him. At first he thought he was in his inner world, but that idea was killed when he stood up and noticed he was next to a river. The river running through the center of Karakura to be precise. What the hell was that diamond? And how did it drop him out here? Maybe Zangetsu had an idea? He did seem to wake up first.

_'Any idea what that thing was Old Man?'_ Ichigo asked his zanpakutō.

Silence greeted him, while Zangestsu pondered that question. Eventually though, the old man replied to the question, _"I do not know Ichigo. Something does not feel right, however. The diamond shattered when we arrived here, and...there is something off about Karakura."_

Ichigo frowned at that, especially as he noticed the shards of the diamond scattered around him. The gem had lost its glow, and just looked like someone had taken a hammer to a jewel, nothing more. Putting that into the back of his mind, Ichigo used his own rather limited sensory abilities. At first, nothing seemed odd...but he quickly realized what his partner had been talking about. The ambient reiatsu felt...off. Like something was...missing?

_'I can't feel Rukia or the others,'_ he realized, shock lacing his tone.

Zangetsu nodded inside Ichigo's Inner World, _"Neither can I. Nor can I sense Chad or Orihime. I thought I felt Rukia, but she seemed weaker and I can no longer sense her."_

Something was seriously wrong here. Why would everyone, with the possible exception of Rukia, just vanish into thin air? Maybe Kisuke could answer that question, it was his diamond that did this in the first place. Getting to his feet, Ichigo started to run to the scientists shop. As he ran, nothing _seemed_ off. Karakura looked much the same as it always did.

Really, there wasn't anything odd about the town, other than the fact he couldn't sense the Anti-Arrancar Team, or his friends...aside from Uryu, which was odd itself since he shouldn't even _have_ powers. What was going on here, and what was that diamond? But as he ran, Ichigo felt something else, that made him come to a halt.

"A Hollow," the teen muttered, before a blast of smoke obscured the street ahead of him.

Covering his eyes, Ichigo saw the form of a large Hollow coming out of it. The dark soul was shaped, roughly, like a Praying Mantis, with sharp claws instead of the normal front legs. If anything though, he felt like he had seen this Hollow before.

_'Zangetsu, tell me I'm not seeing things.'_

_"You are not Ichigo. That Hollow is the first one you ever saw...but how?"_

_'Did Kisuke build a time machine?!'_

_"It is possible."_

Possible, but it seemed ridiculous to even think about. How could Kisuke make a time machine? Or, rather, a time diamond. Even the Hōgyoku just broke down spiritual barriers...impressive, yes. But nothing like traveling back in time. And honestly, that was what seemed to be happening here. But of course, Ichigo couldn't spend time thinking about that. He reached into his pocket, grabbing the Substitute Badge that never left it.

_'We'll think about that later. I have to stop that Hollow!'_

Before Zangetsu could reply, Ichigo felt a familiar presence...just as he saw Rukia appear out of nowhere and purify the Hollow. But just like Zangetsu's earlier feeling, Rukia felt weaker than she should have been. Strong enough to kill the Hollow, but certainly not the woman who had killed an Arrancar with one attack. And as quick as she had appeared, the Kuchiki woman vanished again, not even acknowledging Ichigo.

The teen had been about to reach out and yell at her, but dropped his hand and stared dumbly at where his friend had been. He wasn't stupid by any means, reckless yes, stupid no. Too many things were adding up here, especially knowing the crazy genius that was Kisuke Urahara.

"Damn...we really did travel back, didn't we?" he asked outloud, ignoring the odd looks from people around him.

_"That would seem to be the case,"_ Zangetsu agreed, equally as shocked as his wielder, even if he wouldn't show it.

Ichigo shook his head slightly, and was going to reply when he heard a shout in front of him.

"Hey, who are...you..." a female voice cried out.

Ichigo looked up at the sound of the voice, and his eyes met an identical pair of brown eyes down the street. Said eyes were framed by...brilliant orange hair, in a face that looked like a younger Masaki Kurosaki. Ichigo couldn't believe his eyes...his first thought was he was looking at his mother, a thought that flew from his head when he remembered that Rukia was on her first mission when she met him, she had still been a new Shinigami fresh out of training when Masaki was young. And when he looked closer at the girl in front of him, he saw she wasn't a carbon copy of his mother...there were certainly features that reminded him of...himself?

"Who are you?!" the girl shouted, this time looking right at Ichigo.

The teen froze for a second, before ducking down an alley. This was getting freaky...that girl looked, well, what _he_ would look like if he were a she. Ichigo needed to get to Kisuke's shop, quick. He needed to figure out what was going on here. Even if he had gone back in time, it should have been _him_ there, not some girl who looked disturbingly like Masaki and himself.

Kisuke was going to have some serious explaining to do at the end of this, even if Ichigo had to beat it out of him. Things were seriously not right here...wherever, and _whenever_ here was.

* * *

Meanwhile, the girl he had left behind blinked her large eyes, wondering if she had been seeing things. First there was the monstrous ghost that had been chasing her and that younger ghost. That was odd enough, since she had never seen anything like it before, despite being able to see ghosts for as long as she could remember. Then you had that girl...where had she learned to use a sword like that? And how had she killed the monster?

Of course, the biggest question in her mind was the teenage boy that had just vanished down an alley. He had looked...familiar. And it wasn't just the fact he had the same glaringly orange hair she did. The eyes were like looking in a mirror, and his face looked somewhat like her father's. If she didn't know better, she would say that boy had been her brother. But she didn't _have_ a brother.

"What the hell is going on?" Ayumi Kurosaki questioned aloud, as she began to walk home.

Things had always been odd in her life, so there wasn't anything new there. But these thoughts, especially of that boy, would occupy her head until she got home. Occupy her thoughts enough that she almost missed her father tossing a packet of food at her head.

"You're late!" Isshin Kurosaki shouted, mock-glaring at his oldest daughter, "you're lucky I'm such a good father that I saved you dinner!"

Ayumi caught the food, and shrugged, "More ghost troubles. I also saw a kid with the same hair as me."

Isshin frowned, "Okay, first stop rubbing it in your dear father's face that I can't see ghosts. Second, you saw someone else with orange hair?"

"Yep. It wasn't a dye job either...if I didn't know better, he could have been my brother," the teen replied, walking up the stairs to her room.

As Ayumi vanished from sight, Isshin sat down and shook his head slightly. While his powers were still recovering, even years after his beloved Masaki's death, he hadn't failed to notice a new soul appearing in Karakura. It wasn't hard to notice, not when the power was so unrestrained...one would have to be blind to the spirit world to _not_ notice it.

Of course though, that wasn't even the problem.

_I wonder...the spiritual signature feels familiar, and Ayumi saw someone who looks like her..._ contrary to the way he acted most of the time, Isshin was not a fool.

Masaki didn't have a son. He knew that much. But that didn't rule out a member of _his_ family being born with orange hair. Stranger things had happened, and it was possible that Kaien had a son. Then, of course, there was the matter of that Shinigami he had felt earlier too. It had been decades since Karakura had hosted a member of the Gotei, so the timing just seemed...off.

Either way though, while Isshin was pondering the situation in his kitchen, Ayumi was lounging on her bed, absently drawing in a notebook. It was how she passed the time, sketching out anything she thought important enough to justify it. And, if she did say so herself, she was rather good at it.

"Hmm...same shade of hair as me, same eye color," Ayumi muttered, "but the face looks more like Dad."

Putting her materials down, Ayumi looked at her drawing. The boy pictured did look remarkably like her, if her memory had proven correct. Similar facial features, and the exact same eyes and hair, even if more spiky than Ayumi's curly tresses. She frowned slightly, as she took out the drawing and pinned it to the wall. There was something about that boy...

But as she was thinking that, the teen noticed a black butterfly floating into the room through her window. A suspiciously familiar black butterfly...Ayumi backed up to her wall. For walking _through_ her wall was the girl from earlier, sword and all.

"I feel it..." the girl muttered, putting her hand on her sword.

In response, Ayumi panicked slightly and threw her notebook at the girl's head, "Don't pull out a sword in here!"

The girl obviously wasn't expecting to be hit in the head, as she held it while staring in shock at the orange-haired teen in the corner.

"You can _see_ me?" she asked, her voice conveying even more shock.

Ayumi nodded in reply, the momentary panic replaced by confusion, "Yeah...you're a ghost right? Is that how you came through the wall?"

The girl merely shook her head, obviously just as confused as Ayumi with the situation. She stood up, and reached a hand up to Ayumi's face. The teen leaned back, letting the girl touch a strand of her long hair, but not much else. At that, the girl's already large purple eyes got even larger, if possible. It was obvious she hadn't expected to be able to _touch_ Ayumi.

"How odd..." the girl muttered, "I've never heard of a human being able to see a Shinigami, let alone touch one."

That name was something the teen hadn't heard before. She naturally knew what Shinigami meant, but she hadn't heard of a ghost referring to herself as one. Then again, she didn't often see a ghost running around in a ninja outfit with a katana either.

"Shinigami?" Ayumi asked, pulling the girl's hand away from her hair as she sat down on her bed (it was quite obvious the girl was a ghost...a burglar can't walk through walls).

The girl nodded, "Yes. My job is hunting down Hollows. I _think_ I saw you on the street earlier, right?"

Ayumi nodded herself, "So that monster was a Hollow?"

The girl nodded again. That at least answered Ayumi's question from earlier. After all, she had known this girl wasn't your average spirit, not after taking down that monster. Sure, being a 'Shinigami' was a bit hard to believe, but so was the fact that a 'Hollow' even existed, when the teen hadn't seen anything but regular old humans as ghosts before. That didn't mean she totally believed the girl though, not without a bit more information to go off of.

"What exactly _is_ a Hollow though?"

The girl looked somewhat impressed that Ayumi seemed to believe her as she answered, "A Hollow is...a dark spirit. To keep it in simple terms..."

As she said that, the girl pulled out a notebook. Ayumi perked up slightly at that, seeing a kindred spirit (no pun intended)...until the drawings were revealed, at which point she was highly tempted to facepalm.

"...there are three types of souls. The first are Wholes, the type of spirit that is normally roaming the Earth. Second are Hollows, dark souls who have the sole purpose in life of devouring other souls. Finally, there are the Shinigami like myself. We are tasked with exorcising the Hollows and guiding the Wholes on to the Soul Society, the afterlife. Any questions?"

"Who taught you how to draw?" Ayumi asked, before holding up her hands as the girl waved her marker at her, "relax, it was a joke! But, seriously, if your job is to hunt these Hollows like the one I saw earlier, why are you here? There isn't a giant monster hiding in my house."

The girl frowned at that, running her hand along the hilt of her katana, "I know there is a second Hollow somewhere in this town. But I can't sense it...there is something blocking my senses. I had thought the source was here, but now that I'm actually in your house, I...can't pin it down. Still though, the Hollow will likely come here, it will be able to sense anything I can sense."

Ayumi had been admirably calm up to this point. But that pushed her past her limit. She did _not_ want to hear that a monster who's sole purpose in life was eating other spirits was _probably coming to her house_. What could she do against a monster like the one from earlier? The last thing the teen wanted was her family getting hurt.

"There is one of those monsters coming _here_?!" the teenage girl screamed, not caring if anyone heard.

The other girl held her ears as she replied, "Most likely yes. I don't want to put you and your family at risk, but if I leave you will be at risk of attack. Regardless of what the source of the power I feel is, the Hollow will eat _you_ at the least, since you have to have some level of spiritual power to be able to see and touch me."

Ayumi was definitely worried now. Something that got even worse when she heard a howl outside her house. A distinctly unearthly wail, that she couldn't pass off as a stray dog.

"I think the Hollow is here now!" she shouted, jumping to her feet and running to the window.

"What?!" the Shinigami shouted back, "I can't sense or hear a Hollow!"

"How can you _not_ hear that howling?!"

"Wha..."

Another howl echoed through the house, and this time the Shinigami girl heard it. She put her hand on the hilt of her sword, moving towards the door. As she did so, a female scream rang through the room, a voice that Ayumi would recognize anywhere.

"Yuzu!"

The Shinigami looked back for a second, a look of guilt in her eyes, "I'm sorry I wasn't able to stop the Hollow from getting to your house. _Wait here_, I shall kill it."

With that said, she ran from the room, leaving a stunned Ayumi behind. She didn't stay behind for long though. For Yuzu, unable to see the Shinigami, had crawled up the stairs, bruises visible on her head. The youngest Kurosaki fell to the floor, reaching a hand out to her older sister.

"Ayumi...something has Karin. Please...help her," Yuzu said, before passing out.

That one request served to snap Ayumi out of her shock. She wasn't as reckless as some people, but she would _never_ leave her family in the hands of someone who would hurt them. Not after her Mother...never again would she be responsible for a member of her family dying. And if what the Shinigami had sad was even remotely true, she was the one the Hollow was after, not her sisters.

So Ayumi ran down the stairs herself, in time to see the Shinigami cut the arm of a massive Hollow...an arm that held Karin in its grasp. Ayumi didn't even stop to analyze the situation...she just kept running out into the street, barely managing to catch her sister before she hit the ground. The Hollow, obviously in pain, vanished while holding its arm. The Shinigami landed in front of the Kurosaki sisters, looking over her shoulder with a look of mixed exasperation and guilt.

"I told you to stay inside!" the girl shouted, "the Hollow is probably after you, I can't distract it enough to kill it if you are out here!"

"I couldn't leave my sister behind! Don't you have family?!" Ayumi shouted back, not realizing she hit a nerve...and distracting the Shinigami enough for the Hollow to punch her aside as it suddenly reappeared.

Ayumi could only watch as the girl went flying into a wall, before turning back to the Hollow. Realizing it could get both her and Karin, Ayumi quickly ran further out into the street. The Hollow ignored her sister, and stomped after the orange-haired teen. Ayumi stood, shaking slightly as she stared down the massive monster. Other than the cut on its arm, the Hollow wasn't hurt at all, and it dwarfed her.

But...Ayumi would go down fighting, "Hey you bastard, I'm the one you want! Come and get me!"

As the Hollow shot its neck forward, mouth open wide, Ayumi closed her eyes fully expecting to die. But...she felt a warm liquid spatter her face, but no pain. The teen opened her eyes, and saw the Shinigami, her small body inside the Hollows mouth. Grunting in pain, the smaller girl pulled up her katana and managed to cut the Hollow's face enough for it to release her. As the monster backed away screeching in pain, the Shinigami fell to the ground.

"No!" Ayumi shouted, running up to the girl she had just met.

"Fool...it wouldn't have stopped with you," the girl coughed, as Ayumi helped her to a wall.

"But...I couldn't let anyone else get hurt," the teen protested.

The Shingami managed a shaky laugh, "It still wouldn't have mattered. And now I'm too injured to fight it, and there isn't a soul around here who can if I can't. Unless...no, it couldn't work..."

"What? Is there something I can do?!"

"You can become a Shinigami yourself," the girl answered, holding up her blade, "I can't guarantee it will work, but if I take my Zanpakutō, and stab you in the heart, I can transfer some of my power into your soul. It would be temporary, but it is the only way to kill this Hollow."

Ayumi, to her credit, didn't even question it, "Do it Shinigami."

The wounded girl smiled slightly, despite the blood on her lips, "My name isn't Shinigami, it is Rukia Kuchiki."

Ayumi smiled back tightly, "I'm Ayumi Kurosaki...nice to meet you!"

And with that, the blade of Rukia Kuchiki was stabbed into the heart of Ayumi Kurosaki. A blinding flash of white light erupted around the pair, blinding the incoming Hollow. Because of that, it was unable to respond when a flash of black came out of the light...and lopped off one of its legs. Standing on the other side of the Hollow was Ayumi, now wearing the black uniform of a Shinigami, with a large Zanpakutō in her hands. She gripped the white hilt tightly, glaring at the Hollow as it fell to the ground.

"I won't let you hurt anyone else!" she shouted, jumping forward and bringing the large blade down on the Hollows mask, killing it.

Rukia watched this with shock in her eyes, amazed at how quickly Ayumi had adjusted, how large her blade was, and the fact she had taken almost _all_ of her Shinigami powers. As for Ayumi, she looked down at the katana in her hands...before passing out from the rush of so much power being used at once. As she passed out, the sound of sandals came from behind Rukia.

The young Shinigami turned around, and saw a man with a green haori and a striped hat on his head. But what really drew her attention was the boy next to him...and his shockingly orange hair, exactly identical to the girl laying on the ground.

"Damn it, I wasn't fast enough!" the boy said, and only now did Rukia realize he was in a Shinigami uniform, complete with the hilt of a strangely shaped Zanpakutō sticking out from behind his head.

"I believe you need some help Miss Kuchiki," the other man said with a smile, "perhaps a Gigai?"

"Who are you two?" Rukia asked, moving in front of Ayumi, even if it hurt to do so and she had no power to use to defend the teen.

"Kisuke Urahara, resident shop-keeper for anything spiritual," the hat-wearing man replied with the same grin.

The teen looked at Rukia with eyes that seemed to know her, "Ichigo Kurosaki."

* * *

**AN: And that's a wrap. And a bit longer than I thought it would be too, but the Ayumi part just kept going and going and I didn't want to ruin the streak. Now, as you can tell, I am working to make Ayumi less of a fem!Ichigo, and more of her own character. She's less headstrong, and has different habits (the drawings are just the start). A good part of the credit there goes to DX. **

**DX: I like how we're developing her myself ;)**

**Sky: And to those who liked the old story, I am sorry that I'm torching roughly the first half, but I really didn't see a way to make it work like I said above. I hope people still like the new version though! Also, the whole 'Zangetsu isn't really Zangetsu' thing will come up eventually. Along with other reveals from the recent Manga chapters...but not right away. As for Ayumi...**

**To expand on what I said when introducing her in the original CoF, there are very little options when writing a fic that has Ichigo go back to his own time, as opposed to a century before or what have you. I could have two Ichigo's running around, but that would get real confusing, real quick. I could have him absorb his younger self, but then we get into the questionable morality of that. I could have another male Kurosaki, but then this hypothetical Ichigo 2.0 has to be either identical to Ichigo, or his polar opposite. Having another sister worked better to me.  
**

**All that being said, please leave a review and let us know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: And here we are with the second chapter!  
**

**DX: And it was fun to write to be sure.**

**Sky: Certainly. Now, as I said in the last chapter, this won't follow CoF 1.0 _perfectly_. There will be call-backs, but one of the problems with that story was hanging far too close to the canon. This will not be the case in here. Some events will remain, but others will change or just not happen at all. That being said, I hope everyone enjoys the chapter!**

**Key:**

_Thoughts_

_'Character talking in his/her head'_

_"Zangetsu"_

**"Hollow"**

* * *

**Urahara Shoten, sometime before the Hollow attack**

* * *

_Well the shop looks the same as ever,_ Ichigo thought, some amount of relief going through him at that observation.

And indeed, there was little difference between the shop he was familiar with, and the one in front of him. Maybe something to slight for anyone but Uryu to notice, but all that mattered to Ichigo was the fact it wasn't absurdly different. Considering he seemed to have gone back in time, with a bonus sister on top of that (who else could that girl have been? She certainly wasn't Orihime), any bit of familiarity helped.

_"I would be careful entering it Ichigo,"_ Zangetsu spoke up.

_'Why?'_

_"This Kisuke does not know you,"_ the spirit replied simply, _"he will likely try and trap you until you can explain. If not attempt to kill you."_

Ichigo winced slightly at the last part of the sentence. While he knew _his_ Kisuke enough to know he wouldn't kill a new Shinigami (or Substitute, as the case may be) out of hand, _this_ Kisuke could be totally different. So the teen took Zangetsu's advice and went into the shop with his eyes peeled. Yet...it seemed empty. Neither Jinta or Ururu had been outside, and he hadn't seen anyone at the door either.

Of course, Ichigo should have known by now how Kisuke's demented mind worked...

"Now Tessai!" that annoying voice shouted...as what felt like a freight train slammed into Ichigo's back and sent him tumbling head over heels into a wall.

"Owww!" the teen shouted, as he quickly realized Tessai was sitting on his back and holding him down rather effectively.

Managing to wiggle his head around, Ichigo saw Kisuke walking up to him. The crazy scientist looked much the same as ever, though he had a more serious look on his face than normal. Once he reached Ichigo, the shopkeeper crouched down and poked the teens face with his cane curiously, annoying Ichigo who tried to move and grab the offending object. Of course, Tessai was equivalent to a ton of bricks, and the teen was pinned to the point he couldn't budge.

"Interesting," Kisuke muttered, "I felt you arrive, but I didn't expect such an unrestrained soul to come to my humble abode. Not to mention you look a lot like a certain teenager I've been keeping an eye on...and your power feels like her's too. Very interesting."

"Could you get him off me Hat and Clogs?!" Ichigo complained, "I can explain everything...I think..."

"Nope, Tessai is staying put until I'm sure I can trust you," the former Captain replied, waving his fan dismissively, "so tell me, who are you?"

"Ichigo Kurosaki," the teen replied annoyance lacing his tone.

Kisuke frowned. A rare sight to be sure, but one could hardly blame the man. The only Kurosaki's he knew were Isshin, and his three daughters (and Masaki, but she was long since dead). He certainly didn't know an 'Ichigo', no matter how much he may look like an orange-haired Kaien. Nor did he truly recognize the power radiating off this boy. It felt similar to the currently locked powers residing in Ayumi Kurosaki, but different at the same time. And, of course, there was the tinge of Hollow in it that distinctly worried the shopkeeper...was this boy another Vizard?

"I'm sorry to say I don't know any Ichigo Kurosaki," the former Captain said, "I know the Kurosaki _family_ but they don't have a son. So, I would appreciate if you don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying!" Ichigo protested, "I found some funky diamond in your training room and the next thing I know I ended up by the river!"

This time, Kisuke's eyes widened ever so slightly. He had, though it was still in the _very_ early stages, been thinking of turning a diamond into a time machine. It was all theory at this point, and probably wouldn't work. But...was it possible this boy was from an alternate future? The look in his eyes was determined...not dishonest. And he _did_ know of the training room, something that he was still building.

Still though, it was a bit hard to believe. Even presuming this 'Ichigo' was telling the truth about the diamond, it should have been _Ayumi_ coming back in time, not a boy. And Kisuke would never rule out the option of Aizen somehow figuring out where he was, and creating a new soul for the specific purpose of trying to spy on him. It would be just the type of convoluted plan one could expect of the man. It would also explain why this boy had a tinge of Hollow powers.

"I am going to ask you some questions," Kisuke finally said, "if I believe your answers, I'll let you go. Otherwise, I will have to kill you."

"Well that's nice of you," Ichigo replied sarcastically.

Kisuke didn't smile as he started the questions, "First, how do you know who I am?"

"You trained me after I lost my powers trying to save Rukia."

"Okay then, you just gave me another question...how do you know Rukia Kuchiki?"

"She gave me her powers after a Hollow attacked my family. And I still haven't forgotten that you stuffed the Hōgyoku in her chest either!"

Okay, now it was getting creepy. Kisuke had the Hōgyoku sitting in a _very_ secure spot in his shop, not in the soul of the Kuchiki heir. It was possible he might stick it in her soul, considering his plan to hide the gem in a secure soul to keep Aizen from ever getting it. And if Miss Kuchiki really _did_ lose her powers, he might take advantage of the situation.

But all of that was hypothetical...and Rukia had just arrived today...ironically, around the same time this boy showed up. Which didn't really help his case any, since it was possible he was trying to _make_ Kisuke use Rukia, as a, once again, convoluted Aizen plot.

"Actually I haven't done that," Kisuke said, "Why would I train you?"

"To help save Rukia from Aizen."

"Okay, so you know who Aizen is...how do I know you aren't working for him?"

"The jerk almost cut me in half!"

With a wave of his hand, Kisuke made Tessai move and pull Ichigo's shirt up. The teen growled at that...but it did reveal a rather obvious scar, right along the center of his body. One that fit the size and shape of a standard katana...like Kyoka Suigetsu. There were several other scars too...noticeable ones on both shoulders, and two over his Soul Chain and Soul Sleep. There wasn't any denying Ichigo had been through some tough fighting, if the scars were any indication.

"Nice scars," Kisuke commented, "final question...how did Masaki Kurosaki die?"

That was a very personal question, as Kisuke could tell by the way the boy's eyes went hard with barely suppressed anger. But it was also the one that could truly confirm this boy's identity...if things went even remotely similar in the timeline he claimed to come from, it was probable, no likely, that Grand Fisher had killed his mother. Otherwise, the Hollow attack he claimed to happen wouldn't have occurred...Isshin was powerless when Masaki was alive, but _she_ was not. And she would never let her family come to harm.

"She was killed by a Hollow called Grand Fisher..." Ichigo ground out.

Kisuke visibly deflated, as he had Tessai get off the teen. Ichigo got to his feet, rubbing his sore arms before punching Kisuke in the face. The shopkeeper held his bleeding nose, but waved Tessai off. There wasn't any indication that this teen was lying, so he let him vent somewhat. At least until he felt something hit his chest. Looking down, Kisuke saw the...shattered remains of a diamond.

"If you hadn't had him sit on me I could have showed you that earlier!" Ichigo shouted.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Kisuke examined the shards of diamond. And he could sense his (and Tessai's) reiatsu lingering on the shards. Sheepishly looking up from the shards, the (mad) scientist shrugged. It wasn't his fault he was suspicious and went through the questions...he had only stayed alive so long by not taking things at face value.

"Well, since it seems you were telling the truth Mr. Kurosaki...anything else you need to tell me?"

"A lot of things Hat and Clogs, but first...we need to help my family. That Hollow is probably going to attack any minu...te...now..." Ichigo trailed off at the end as he checked his watch, "damn it! It's probably already there!"

Reaching into his pocket, Ichigo pulled out his substitute badge and quickly left his body. Kisuke frowned at the badge, and had Tessai take it to be destroyed. He could tell it was a monitoring device, and the last thing anyone needed right now was Soul Society figuring out Ichigo was here. The teen didn't even notice Tessai taking it either, as he was already leaving to go to his house.

Kisuke followed him out, easily keeping up with the younger man. As it turned out though, they were already too late as Ayumi fell to the ground after killing the Hollow. Rukia Kuchiki was sitting in the road, and looked at both of them, suspicion in her eyes.

"Damn it, I wasn't fast enough!" Ichigo said, looking at a bleeding Rukia and his unconscious sister (for she could only be his sister).

"I believe you need some help Miss Kuchiki," Kisuke said with a smile, inwardly cursing at the situation, "perhaps a Gigai?"

"Who are you two?" Rukia asked, moving in front of Ayumi, even if it hurt to do so and she had no power to use to defend the teen.

"Kisuke Urahara, resident shop-keeper for anything spiritual," the hat-wearing man replied with the same grin.

For his part, Ichigo looked at Rukia, knowing that she wouldn't know who he was, "Ichigo Kurosaki."

As both men made their introductions, Rukia still looked suspicious. Not that one could blame her. She knew, vaguely, that a man named Urahara had been exiled from the Soul Society long ago. That it was possible this man was the same Urahara crossed her mind to be sure. As for the boy...his power, to her diminished senses, was similar to the girl she had just helped. There was also something else familiar about it...like her soul knew the boy, but she didn't. It was an odd feeling to be sure.

She also had to question where a Shinigami with the _same name as Ayumi_ could have been hiding. Or why the Kurosaki girl didn't know what a Shinigami was when a boy who could be her brother was quite obviously one.

"Urahara...the former Captain?" Rukia asked, and at the nod from the hat-wearing man, she turned to Ichigo, "Are you related to Ayumi?"

"So Ayumi's her name," Ichigo mused, "and yes. Though it's a very long story."

Rukia was confused by that, "How?"

Before Ichigo could answer, Kisuke butted in.

"Perhaps that story can wait," he said cheerfully, "I think we should get Miss. Kurosaki back in her body and fix the rather large hole in her house first no? And get Miss. Kuhicki healed and in a Gigai."

"As long as it ain't a Gigai that drains her powers Hat and Clogs," Ichigo said darkly.

Kisuke had the grace to laugh (while inwardly surprised Ichigo could read him so easily), "Of course, of course."

Tessai would soon arrive with wood to fix the hole (or cover it up at any rate) while Ichigo got Ayumi back into her bed. Considering it was the same room as his (though decorated noticeably differently) it wasn't that hard to find. Sleeping like she was, this finally allowed him to get a good look at his new sister. Ayumi definitely resembled Masaki, more so than either Yuzu or Karin did. He could still see features similar to his own though...and that was going to take some getting used to. Along with the already developing 'big brother' urge (even if only by a few months).

Sighing, Ichigo went back down the stairs. Rukia by this point had been healed and given a Gigai, and she was still in shock at the recent events. Not that he could blame her...he wasn't much better considering the situation.

"Well, let's get to the shop so I can explain things a bit better," the teen said, running a hand through his spiky hair, "Oh, and Rukia? We're waiting here in the morning, I don't want to drop this on Ayumi at school."

The Kuchiki woman looked surprised at Ichigo's evident knowledge of her plans, but he just shook his head as the little group headed back to the shop. A lot of things would need explaining...not the least of which being what Aizen was truly planning...

* * *

**The Next Day  
**

* * *

Ayumi woke up, wondering if everything that had happened to her had been a dream. Swinging her legs out of bed, the teen looked around her room. Everything was much the same as usual, with the one exception being the drawing of the strange boy. That alone wasn't enough to convince her the issues with the Hollow had been real though. Something that was reinforced when Isshin did his morning 'annoying alarm clock' impersonation. Shaking her head slightly, Ayumi closed the door on her father and got into her school uniform.

_I wonder if it all really was a dream?_

Of course, that thought went flying right out of her head as she went down the stairs. For, while it was boarded up (rather shoddily boarded up at that) there was a massive hole in her kitchen wall. Ayumi came to a halt and just stared, dumbfounded, at the wall. It would appear that she _hadn't_ just dreamt everything up.

"I'm guessing you didn't hear the truck either?" Karin asked, lazily walking by.

"Truck?" Ayumi asked dumbly.

"Yeah, a truck hit our house last night!" Yuzu replied, excitable as always.

"I'm surprised it didn't wake anyone up," Karin added dryly, "not so much that the jerk didn't even stay behind to help."

The eldest Kurosaki sibling just shook her head in disbelief as she ate her breakfast. Not only did her sisters not remember what had _actually_ happened (and Karin would certainly have been able to see the Hollow) but they seemed completely fine. No sign of the injuries they had been sporting the previous night. Had Rukia messed around with their memories, fixed (more or less) the wall, and healed their wounds? And had she gone back to the Soul Society?

All of these questions went through the teenage girl's head as she left for school. Not that one could blame her, as she had gone through quite the experience the previous night. Of course, the questions went right _out_ of her head, as she screeched to a halt on her walk to school. For, standing just out of sight of the Clinic, were two people. She immediately recognized Rukia Kuchiki (though the teen wondered how, and why, she was in a school uniform)...but the more shocking sight was the tall boy next to her. It was the same orange-haired teen from yesterday!

Quickly running up to the two, Ayumi stared down on Rukia (though the height difference was slight...maybe a couple inches at most).

"Why are you still here?" the teen asked.

Rukia scratched the back of her head and sighed, "I can't return to the Soul Society. Only a Shinigami can open a Senkaimon, and I don't have enough power anymore...you took to much last night. Until my powers have returned, I'm stranded here."

"And who are you?" this time Ayumi asked the taller boy.

"Ichigo," he replied, sticking a hand out, "Ichigo Kurosaki."

Unsurprisingly, Ayumi backed away at that. Her eyes went hard, as she looked the boy up and down. Her father had _never_ told her she had a member of the family named 'Ichigo'. He may have looked absurdly similar to her, but that did _not_ mean this boy was a member of her family. After all, she hadn't even known of any Kurosaki's outside of her own family...so far as she knew, they were the only Kurosaki's alive.

For his part, Ichigo just sighed. He had really expected as much out of his new sister. After all, he would be just as doubtful...though there would probably be more yelling. Scratch that...there would _definitely_ be more yelling.

"Last I checked, there isn't anyone in my family named 'Ichigo'," Ayumi said, shaking her head.

"Well, that's a bit of a long story," Ichigo replied, before saying everything he had said to Kisuke (and Rukia) once again.

"...you're a time traveling Shinigami?" Ayumi asked skeptically, "and, more importantly, my time traveling _brother_?"

"I didn't believe him at first either," Rukia butted in, "but he knows things that I haven't told _anyone_ before."

Ayumi sighed, and sat down on a nearby bench. She put her head in her hands, and tried to decide if she was finally developing whatever made her father crazy. Nothing made sense anymore. She was evidently a Substitute Shinigami, had a time-traveling brother who was _also_ a Substitute, and this was supposed to be believable? Who's brilliant idea was this joke?

Then again, what Ichigo had said made a certain amount of sense. Especially when he had talked about Masaki...she had _seen_ the same pain in his eyes that she felt whenever her mother was brought up. There was no faking that. So, sighing again, Ayumi got back to her feet.

"Okay, I believe you," she said, "as hard as it is. But what are we going to tell people at school? Orihime, Tatsuki, and Chad all know I have no brothers."

"You're friends with them too?" Ichigo asked, comically missing the point.

"...yes?" Ayumi replied, "but seriously, are going to say you're my cousin or something?"

"It should work well enough," Ichigo shrugged.

And thus, Ichigo found a way to hide in plain sight. Now, it was time to get to work.

* * *

**AN: And there we go. Shorter than the last one, but it seemed a good place to end it.  
**

**DX: Let us know what you think! :D**


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